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Becoming a GMailer....

Gmail is slowly but surely taking over my life where a Microsoft product once held a very key place. (yes, this message has a lot of links just so you can see that it's no longer one product but several that does what needs to happen)

I used to live in Outlook but after having worked with various Outlook and Desktop search tools, NewsGator Outlook and the like - my Outlook just freezes or crashes all the time - and that's AFTER reinstalling. gMail allows me to send emails and specify the outbound email (so it can come from my aksel address instead of my gmail).

The Search is, not surprisingly, great (who needs to organize messages anymore?) but the biggest change just happened this week when they turned on mobile gmail at http://m.gmail.com.

Where I used to rely on ActiveSync to ensure my PDA had all my inbox messages and the like, now I can get and respond to my email whereever I am (yes, I have a data plan with Rogers, my communications provider). Send email to others? Why not just blog it?

Yes, I still need ActiveSync for syncing files but between gMail mobile, Trumba , Newsgator Online, Basecamp's WriteBoards, it's looking more and more like I could "live" on the web with minimal desktop software. I'm thinking of even downgrading my Newsgator account down to a non-business level - except that I couldn't store and review all of my downloaded feeds. (hmmm....when are they going to improve Desktop search to search within DATABASES?)

What I really need now is for 37Signals to make a more mobile friendly version of BaseCamp, Backpack or even just the TadaLists. Yes, the current versions are fairly light-weight on a web site but if they could do it more like mobile gmail or NewsGator mobile, that would be killer.

Update: They DO already (at least for BackPack!) Just add /mob to the end of any URL and the 37apps are instantly PDA friendly! Very cool guys.!

Am I relying too much on an Internet connection? Possibly, yes but once the Google Grid comes online, I may be ready to be assimilated.

Now I just need that online database...I'm not completely sold set on GoogleBase, Craig joked about it but hey, West-Wind lets you build the application with FoxPro, if I could build my rich front end with FoxML, and support online web reports via XFRX, I might be able to build that very cool Web app, right online!

Haven't tried gmail, ask me for an invite!

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